After a custom wheelchair van was stolen right out of Community
Living’s parking lot, Waterloo Region Record has been conducting a
fundraising campaign to assist the non-profit group purchase a van.
Community Living provides services for about 300 adults who have
developmental disabilities; without the use of the wheelchair van, the
charity organization’s work has been compromised. This has left
hundreds of individuals unable to complete essential day-to-day tasks
such as attending medical appointments and picking up groceries.

Since the launch of this fundraising campaign, Community Living has
raised an outstanding $8,580 of their fundraising goal. The Waterloo
Region Record is proud to announce that funds collected from insurance
and successful fundraising has allowed Community Living to replace the
actual vehicle.

However, financial support is still required to purchase conversion
and updates to make the van wheelchair accessible. The Waterloo Region
Record is conducting one final push for this campaign in hopes to
assist this non-profit organization come closer to reaching their goal.

Community Living is deeply grateful for the support they have
received from the community and will continue to accept donations
until the fundraising campaign concludes on Friday, October 17th.
Generous donations that individuals are able to provide in this short
amount of time would be greatly appreciated and significantly impact
the fate of Community Living. All Donations will be directed to
Community Living Cambridge.

It was just before midnight on Friday when the wheelchair van went
tearing out of the parking lot, right next door to the police station.

But it was Monday morning before staff at Community Living Cambridge
realized what had happened. Someone had stolen their retrofitted 2006
Ford Econoline lift van, used to shuttle people with special needs
around town.

Today, the agency that runs 24 group homes around Cambridge is
scrambling to find a way to replace the highly customized vehicle,
which it says could cost as much as $60,000.

In the meantime, it means people in wheelchairs who rely on the van
to help them get to groceries, medical appointments and just about
everything else will be compromised.

"Why anyone would take this vehicle I don't understand. That van
takes people everywhere. Their lives revolve around this," said
Winston Reid, the agency's operations manager. "And we don't know
yet if we can afford to replace it. We don't have the money in our
budget to be doing that."

The unmarked van, a two-tone grey vehicle with running boards, a
raised roof and a large, steel chair lift visible through the back
windows, is now reported as stolen to police across Canada.

The vehicle, with licence plate BJHE 678, isn't just any van, Reid
said. It's been customized to carry three people in wheelchairs, with
the specialized lifts, extra headspace and floor locks they need.
There is no conventional seating in the back.

It's one of five wheelchair lift vans the charity owns, and gets used
every day.

A staff worker at the charity's residence at 160 Hespeler Road — just
meters away from the police station — noticed the van peeling out of
the parking lot Friday night, followed quickly by another car. She
thought it strange, and reported it to a supervisor, but they assumed
another staff member had booked the van for the weekend.

On Monday, Reid came to work, discovered it had been stolen, and
called police.

"It was booked to go out on to a doctor's appointment on Monday,
but when our staff got here in the morning, it wasn't in the parking
lot," said Reid. "Someone must have broke into it and drove off."

The non-profit organization, which provides services for about 300
adults with developmental disabilities, isn't holding out much hope
the van will be returned.

It will be weeks before any insurance is paid out, and that won't
cover the roughly $25,000 it takes to retrofit a van to carry
wheelchairs, a process that can take several months, Reid said.

"Police told us that after two or three days, the chances of
getting it back now aren't great," Reid said. "We won't get
near the value of the vehicle back compared to what we paid and what
it means to us. It's not a van you can just get anywhere."

Anyone with information in the theft is asked to call Waterloo
Regional Police at 519 650-8500, ext. 2299, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Community Living Cambridge is dedicated to serving those in the
Cambridge community with a developmental disability and providing
events and activities to enrich their lives.

Support is offered through a variety of programs designed to meet
each individual's needs. Residential group homes, employment support
programs and alternative day programs all access the resources of the
Cambridge community to enable those we support to achieve their goals.

Your contributions and support are greatly appreciated. All Donations
will be directed to Community Living Cambridge.

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